About us

The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association in Lithuania (Polish: Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego na Litwie, ZHPnL) is one of the largest and most dynamic Polish organizations in Lithuania. ZHPnL is a non-formal education organization uniting children and youth. The Scout and Guide Law and Promise serve as the basis for the education work carried out by our young leaders and instructors. Scouts and guides pursue their vocation: to serve God, the Homeland and the Neighbour. Most of our troops come from Vilnius and Vilnius region — the area inhabited by the indigenous Polish minority. Some traditions of the Association date back to the interwar Vilnius Region Scouts and Guides.

Together with the national revival in 1989, the scouting and guiding movement in Lithuania was reborn. It was in 1989 that first scouters and guiders from Poland came to Vilnius offering help in creating Polish scouting and first units were formed at schools.

The Polish Scouting and Guiding Association in Lithuania encompasses Guide organization (girl scouts) and Scout organization (boy scouts), as well as Brownies and Cub Scouts. ZHPnL now has more than 500 members.

ZHPnL Board elected for the term 2017-2019:

Pavel Giliauskas – President

Sabina Maksimovič – Commisioner for Foreign Affairs

Ivona Kazakevič – Chief Guide

Ryšard Gierasim – Chief Scout

Romuald Dadelo – Quartermaster

Magdalena Grinevič – Chief of Cub Scouts

Jaroslav Spiridovič – Chaplain

ZHPnL aims at national counsciousness-raising of the Polish youth living in Lithuania and at bringing them up as responsible and active citizens of Lithuania. Scouts and guides participate in many social and charity campaigns: they take care of the unkempt graves on Vilnius cemeteries and graves of Polish soldiers, raise funds for the renovation of monuments on the oldest Vilnius cemetary – Rossa. Our scouts and guides coorganize and participate in a social campaign „Światełko dla Rossy“. Last year almost 6 thousand candles were amassed during the campaign and lit on November 1st on the unkempt graves. Scouts and guides visit orphanages and old people‘s homes, in collaboration with the House of Polish Culture in Vilnius organize Children‘s Day activities, cooperate with Vilnius Charitable Society and distribute parcels for those in need. Together with Lithuanian scouts we organize the Bethlehem Light of Peace programme.

Besides the daily work, every year we organize summer and winter camps, take part in campaigns in Poland and other countries, coorganize scout conferences in Lithuania and abroad.